Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a plan to build the first phase of the North- South Expressway, which is 684 km in length, before 2022, according to the Office of the Government.

The Office said that the PM has agreed with Plan No.1 from the Minister of Transport, which will build 684 km of the 1,372-km expressway linking Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City through 20 cities and provinces.

The first phase has total investment capital of VND140 trillion ($6.16 billion). Capital from the State budget totals VND55 trillion ($2.42 billion) for site clearance and resettlement, with the remainder being private capital.

Four lanes will be built from Mai Son in northern Ninh Binh province to Bai Vot in north-central Ha Tinh province and from Cam Lam in south-central Khanh Hoa province to Phan Thiet in south-central Binh Thuan province under the public-private partnership (PPP) form, and from Cam Lo in central Quang Tri province to La Son in central Thua Thien Hue province under the build-transfer (BT) form.

The Phan Thiet to Dau Giay (Dong Nai province) section will also have four lanes and be built under the PPP form.

The second phase (from 2023 to 2028) will build 688 km with total investment capital of VND103 trillion ($4.5 billion).

The third phase will complete remaining items and be completed before 2030, with total investment capital of VND69 trillion ($3 billion).

Mr. Pham Huu Son, General Director of Transport Engineering Design Inc. (TEDI) under the Ministry of Transport, was quoted as saying that, previously, the ministry targeted completing the construction of all 1,372 km by 2022, with expected funding of VND70 trillion ($3.3 billion) from the State budget.

However, only VND70 trillion from the State budget has been assigned for all TEDI projects in the 2016-2020 period, with part of this allocated to the North-South Expressway project. TEDI is therefore assigned to consider how to balance capital for projects during the period.

The government sets a requirement for the project to meet high transport capacity, high speed, and safety, connecting economic and social centers from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City through 20 cities and provinces, linking economic zones, industrial parks, and seaports for socioeconomic development in areas where the expressway passes, reducing pressure on the existing north-south National Highway No.1, which has long been overburdened.